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Tag Archives: Deschutes Brewing

It’s been awhile since I posted a beer review. I don’t know what happened to the Vendome Beer Panel – they stopped doing them (or they stopped inviting me to participate). I guess that horrible task of sampling free beer is over.

Black Butte XXIX pours black with a ¼” light tan head that fades rapidly to a thick ring. The first whiff is spiced rum, then spiced rum, followed by more spiced rum with sweet chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and cherry.

The flavor is sweet rum, chocolate, coconut, vanilla, dark fruit, and cinnamon with cherry at the end. The cayenne is slightly noticeable in the aftertaste, giving just a bit of heat in the throat. The bourbon is very subdued, almost non-existent, but the rum is right in your face, along with strong notes of dark chocolate.

The mouth feel is thick and silky smooth with medium to low carbonation. The high alcohol content is completely absent in the flavor (too bad), but very noticeable in its effect. As it warms there is even more aroma of rum. The flavor is a bit sweeter with rum notes even more prevelant. The cinnamon is subtle, but makes an appearance (not so much when cold). The dark fruit (raisin, plum) fades a bit, and a little coffee emerges. The alcohol is still not apparent.

Black Butte XXIX is excellent! It is complex and very enjoyable. This is an impressive beer; good job, Deschutes!

I sampled XXIX on August 20, 2017 from a 22 oz. bomber that was bottled on June 12, 2017. The bottle cost $16.49 at Total Wine.

Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut: Arrogant Brewing, Escondido, CA. 13% ABV.
First a very short history lesson – Arrogant Brewing split off from Stone Brewing in 2015. I believe Arrogant Brewing pushes the boundaries and makes the more “over the top” ales, including Double Bastard (an excellent Strong Ale). Today’s beer is Double Bastard Ale aged in Islay Scotch Whisky barrels. I will refer to it as “BLU” (Bigger, Longer, Uncut).

BLU looks like regular Double Bastard, but that’s where the similarity ends. It pours a deep amber color with a ½” beige head that fades after about a minute to a substantial ring. The aroma is smoky Scotch, sweet, tobacco – it smells like you’re walking into a tobacco shop.

It tastes sweet with notes of chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar and tobacco, followed by smoke/peat, Scotch Whisky, and smoky chocolate, with a lingering smoky/peaty essence in the aftertaste. As this beer warms, the aroma intensifies – close your eyes and you would think you’re sniffing a shot of Scotch. In the flavor, however, the smoke seems to fade, or is overtaken by sweetness, to wit, vanilla and chocolate (especially dark chocolate). The peat subsides and the sweet notes of chocolate and toffee take over. This seems counter-intuitive to me – I would think the peat/smoke would become more pronounced as the beer warms, but it’s just the opposite as the complexity of the underlying beer shines forth.

The body and mouth feel is thick and smooth. Carbonation is on the low side. As the beer warms (60°+), alcohol becomes noticeable late on the palate, but is not hot or unpleasant. In fact, I would opine that the alcohol is well hidden in the flavor (but not in it’s effect!).

Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut is all about the Scotch. At first I was a little put off by it (the Scotch), but the more I drank it, the more I liked it. In my opinion, this is a beer that should not be consumed ice cold. Let this one warm up to cellar temperatures (55° – 60° F) to really appreciate the nuances and complexities. Double Bastard is a huge beer with huge flavor, and is able to stand up to the intensity of the Islay Scotch barrels.

I sampled BLU on August 27, 2017, from a 22 oz. bomber, given to me by my neighbor and good friend, Rob Lansley. It was bottled on October 14, 2016, so it had been aging for almost a year. I’m a little surprised that the Scotch flavor is still so pronounced after nearly a year in the bottle.

So there you have it. I highly recommend Black Butte XXIX. Anyone who appreciates a good imperial stout would enjoy this beer. I don’t drink much rum, but it really adds additional character and depth to this beer. I can also recommend Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut, but with one admonition – you may not like it if you don’t like Scotch Whisky. As I stated, I don’t care much for Scotch, but after my initial disdain, I really enjoyed this big beer (thank you, Rob!). In fact, I got another bomber ($11.99) to share with . . . anyone interested? This is a great candidate for aging – maybe I’ll get one more bottle to age for a few years in my cellar.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get off your couch and go buy some good beer. Both are available at Total Wine right now, but are limited release and will be gone soon. Don’t miss out. (Caveat: fizzy yellow beer drinkers, don’t bother.)

Well, beer lovers, it’s time once again for my much anticipated beer reviews. Today I bring you the low down on three big beers that I recently consumed. All are special release or limited release; I am trying to get these reviews to you in a timely manner so you can still find them if you’re interested. Please read responsibly.

Black Butte XXVIII: (2016) Deschutes Brewing Co., Bend, OR. 11.6% ABV
A few weeks ago I posted a review of Black Butte XXVII and teased you with a mention of Black Butte XXVIII. Well, I found my notes, so here is the review of the 2016 iteration of Deschutes’ anniversary ale.

XXVIII is brewed with cocoa, vanilla, peated malt and sweet orange peel. 50% is aged in Bourbon and Scotch Whiskey barrels. It pours black with a light tan ½” head that fades immediately to a thin ring. The aroma is sweet – raisin, vanilla and cherry. The first flavor impression is semi-sweet chocolate, with some alcohol, dark fruit, tobacco and vanilla. Chocolate and toffee linger in the aftertaste.

As it warms, it becomes sweeter. The chocolate persists, but is not as bitter. The chocolate/toffee aftertaste remains, but is somewhat sweeter. XXVIII has a very thick body and velvety smooth mouth feel. The carbonation level, although not high, is enough to impart some bitterness and palate cleansing. The alcohol content is relatively high, but is only slightly noticeable in the taste.

Although XXVIII is a Bourbon/Scotch Whiskey barrel aged beer, the barrel notes are not really noticeable in the flavor. They are only slightly detected in the aroma.

Overall, Black Butte XXVIII is excellent. I sampled this beer from a 22 oz. bomber (bottled 06-13-2016). I’m not sure about the availability any longer – I purchased it several months ago and drank it in January (2017).

Poterie: The Bruery, Placentia, CA. 16.8% ABV.
This is the eighth anniversary beer from The Bruery in Placentia. All of their anniversary beers have been big – very complex flavors and high in alcohol. This one is no exception. It’s an English style strong ale aged in Bourbon barrels.

Poterie pours a cloudy brown with a light beige ¾” head that fades after about 2 minutes to a substantial ring around the perimeter of a “Bruery” tulip glass. The aroma is sweet, vanilla, bourbon and alcohol. The flavor is sweet chocolate with some grainy bitterness, tart, and tobacco, with no alcohol noted. The aftertaste is chocolaty bitterness, vanilla, toffee and cherries. The bourbon barrel notes are very subdued.

As Poterie warms, the alcohol becomes noticeable, and the flavor grows a little sweeter. The aromas of vanilla, bourbon and alcohol also intensify. At room temperature, the flavor is alcohol, vanilla, and bourbon, and then fades to chocolate, mocha and grainy bitterness.

This beer is highly carbonated, which is a good thing. Otherwise, it could be too syrupy (thick and sweet) on the tongue. Poterie is available still, in 750 ml bottles. With almost 17% alcohol, that’s too much for one person at one sitting. I recommend this beer, but if you are going to get one, plan on sharing it.

Collaboration No. 6: Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City, MO) and Firestone Walker Brewing (Paso Robles, CA). 12.5% ABV.
This is a somewhat unique collaboration between two breweries. Normally with a collaboration brew, the two brewmasters get together at one of the breweries and they brew a collaboration recipe. In this case, however, the two brewmasters got together, each providing samples of two of their finished products, and then blended them in graduated cylinders until they arrived at “the perfect balance of two barrel aged beers from each brewery.” So, this is a mixture of Boulevard’s Bourbon Barrel Quad (45%), Imperial Stout X – Tart Cherry (10%) and Firestone’s Stickee Monkey (35%) and Velvet Merkin (10%).

Enough background though; lets get to the point. No. 6 pours opaque dark brown with a 1” tan head that persists. The aroma is tart cherry and chocolate with some Belgian spiciness. The flavor is chocolate and tart cherry, which fades to vanilla (from the barrel aging) with a lingering bitterness.

As it warms, the aroma becomes a bit sweeter and the flavor becomes more chocolate. The cherry seems to become sweeter, less tart. At room temperature, it’s all about the chocolate. The alcohol is noticeable in the aroma, but not in the flavor. The aftertaste is a lingering sweetness and cherry (not tart). No. 6 has a high carbonation level with medium body and mouth feel. This beer is very good! I drank this from a 750 ml bottle over the course of an afternoon, for a very pleasant experience. I think this is still available in limited quantities, and I highly recommend it.

Well, folks, that’s it for now. I recommend all three of these beers, so open your wallets and buy them (if you can still find them). Caveat: fizzy yellow beer drinkers (and/or cheapskates) – don’t bother, you won’t like them. I will likely be posting a new Vendome Beer Panel review at the end of the week, so check back around March 31, 2017 for additional tips and discount opportunities.

It’s fall, and the holidays are approaching. That means big, dark beers and winter warmers. Today I bring you reviews of three barrel aged Imperial Stouts. Please read responsibly.

Abyss: Deschutes Brewing, Bend, OR; 12.2% ABV (2015 release).
Abyss is Deschutes’ annual bourbon barrel Imperial Stout offering. This review is for the 2015 version (this beer is typically released in November or December each year). This particular vintage is 50% aged in bourbon, Oregon oak, and pinot noir barrels.

Abyss pours black with a 1/4″ cocoa colored head that rapidly fades to a thin layer and small ring around the edge. The aroma is roasty, coffee, tart (from the wine barrel) and brown sugar. The flavor is thick, bitter chocolate, vanilla and a little licorice, then fades to sweet cherry and dark fruit. The aftertaste is chocolate, migrating from sweet to bittersweet.

As this beer warms, the aroma is all about the brown sugar, with very strong notes of molasses. In addition, the chocolate flavor increases, as does the vanilla, and a little bit of coconut peeks through (from the bourbon barrel). It definitely sweetens up as the temperature increases. In spite of the high alcohol content, it is not hot or boozy; very drinkable. This is VERY good!! I sampled Abyss from a 22 oz. bomber purchased at Total Wine ($15.99).

Tweak: Avery Brewing, Boulder, CO; 17.5% ABV (2015 release).
Tweak is Avery’s annual release bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout (with coffee added). This is a review of the 2015 vintage. It is typically released in November each year. I sampled Tweak from a 12 oz. bottle purchased at BevMo. I don’t remember the price, but it was expensive for a 12 oz. bottle ($12.99 I think). Oh yeah, it was well worth it!!

Tweak pours midnight black with a 1/2″ beige head that fades after one or two minutes to a small ring around the edge. The aroma is coffee (but not overly bitter) and coconut, with slight vanilla notes. The flavor is sweet chocolate, vanilla and dark fruit, then coffee (again, not bitter) and mocha, fading to coconut and vanilla. The coconut aftertaste lingers forever, then the coffee raises its head again, but the coconut remains.

As Tweak warms, the aroma becomes sweeter on the nose, with more vanilla and less coffee (almost caramel-like). In the mouth, the coffee is more pronounced and the bourbon becomes very subdued until the aftertaste, when it takes over. As it gets to room temperature, the alcohol becomes just a little noticeable in the taste.

The bottle label says this beer is 17.5% ABV. That’s hard to believe. There was no booziness noted in the aroma or flavor (except as described above, when it reached room temperature), BUT it went right to my head. I drank it on an empty stomach, and was cruising the rest of the afternoon. This beer is AWESOME!

Darkstar November: Bottle Logic Brewing, Anaheim, CA; 13.7% ABV (2015 release).
Darkstar November is Bottle Logic’s annual bourbon barrel aged Imperial Russian Stout. This is a review of the 2015 release. For this review I sampled a 22 oz. bottle, purchased at Total Wine ($20.99), but previously tasted it at the Bottle Logic tasting room last year. It is typically available in November and December.

Darkstar November pours opaque black with a 1/4″ cocoa head that fades within a minute to a medium thin ring around the edge. The aroma is sweet, vanilla, oak and alcohol. The flavor is also sweet – dark chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit, and raisins. The sweetness yields to a slight bitterness (hops?) and bitter cocoa, which in turn fades to vanilla, sweet chocolate, then to coconut, which lingers in the aftertaste.

Darkstar November is thick, velvety smooth, and viscous. No alcohol is noted in the mouth, until it warms up. As it warms, the sweet chocolate starts to dominate the flavor and the alcohol becomes a little noticeable on the tongue, although it is not hot or unpleasant. This is a DELICIOUS and easily drinkable dessert beer!

I highly recommend all three of these beers, Abyss, Tweak, and Darkstar November. They are wonderful examples of the barrel aged Imperial Russian Stout style. It’s too bad they have such limited availability. The good news, however: I have posted this review early enough that you can prepare yourself – be sure to start looking for these beers in November when they become available. All of them are fairly expensive beers, but they are worth the price. After all, life is too short to drink crappy beer!